The present invention relates generally to a method for immediately placing a non-occlusive and non-functional temporary dental implant prosthesis in the jawbone of a human patient wherein the prosthesis has a size and shape of a natural human tooth.
Numerous surgical techniques and methods currently exist to install a dental implant and prosthesis into the jawbone of a human patient. During a conventional surgical procedure, an incision is made along the gingival tissue at the implant site of the patient, a cylindrical bore is drilled into the alveolar bone, and the bore of the bone is tapped. Once the bore is fully prepared, a dental implant is positioned above the implant site and driven into the bore. A healing screw or healing cap is then placed on the coronal end of the implant, and the gingival tissue is sutured. The implant and healing cap remain within the bone for several months as osseointegration and healing occur. After this healing period, a second surgical procedure begins. During this procedure, the gingival tissue is again cut, the implant is re-exposed, and the healing cap is removed. Thereafter, an abutment is affixed onto the top of the implant and a dental prosthesis is affixed to the abutment.
This conventional surgical procedure has many disadvantages. First, during the healing stage while the implant integrates into the bone, a tooth or dental prosthesis will not be present at the implantation site. The patient may have an unsightly gap or otherwise unaesthetic appearance at this location. Further, in some instances, a metallic healing cap or metallic gingival cuff may be left attached to the implant while the tissue and bone heal. The cap and cuff are often visibly exposed in the mouth of the patient and present an unnatural appearance. Further yet in conventional techniques, the patient has to undergo two separate surgical procedures: an initial procedure to implant the implant and a second procedure to remove the healing cap and attach the abutment and prosthesis. Multiple surgical procedures are costly and not desirable for the patient.
Some dental implant systems and surgical techniques attempt to solve the disadvantages associated with conventional implantation procedures. These systems place a prosthetic tooth in occlusion immediately after the implant is driven and positioned in the jawbone of the patient. In this scenario, the patient has a tooth-like prosthesis immediately after the surgery, so aesthetic appearance is no longer a concern. The prosthesis, however, is left in occlusion and thus exposed to immediate loads.
This procedure has disadvantages too. Preferably, movement and disturbance of the implant should be minimal immediately after it is placed in the jawbone. If the prosthesis and attached implant experience loading too soon, then the position of the implant may rotate, loosen, or otherwise move. Such movement could adversely effect the integration and alignment of the implant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,783 (entitled xe2x80x9cThreaded Dental Implant with a Core to Thread Ration Facilitating Immediate Loading and Method of Installationxe2x80x9d) illustrates a dental implant system designed to immediately place and then load a dental prosthesis. As shown in FIG. 1, an implant 10 consists of an elongated unitary body having a main implant portion 12 with external threads 14 and an extended neck portion 16. One disadvantage to this system is that the implant has an elongated implant and neck portions formed from a single piece. A clinician may be required to perform significant modifications to the extended neck portion so it has the correct height or angle to receive the prosthesis. Further, the neck portion could not easily accommodate a screw-retained prosthesis, especially if the neck needed extensive modification. Further yet, the implant is loaded immediately after it is placed; and such loads, as discussed above, may move the implant or otherwise interfere with its orientation or integration. The external threads 14 on the implant further have a specific and specialized thread pattern to help improve resistance of the implant to chewing and compressive forces. This specialized thread pattern may add additional cost to the implant.
The present invention solves the problems discussed with prior methods and dental delivery systems and provides numerous advantages over these prior systems and methods.
The present invention is directed toward a method for placing a non-occlusive, non-functional temporary dental implant prosthesis immediately after a dental implant is implanted into the jawbone of a human patient. The implant is placed in a conventional manner for edentulous or extraction dental implantation sites. Thereafter, in one embodiment, a separate abutment is connected to the implant; typically such a connection occurs with a screw or cement. A temporary dental implant prosthesis is then attached to the abutment. Most importantly, the temporary prosthesis is placed to be non-occlusive and non-functional; that is to say loads and compressive forces are not transmitted to the implant during normal mastication.
The present method has numerous advantages over prior methods. First, a tooth-shaped temporary prosthesis is connected to implant immediately after the implant is implanted into the jawbone of the patient. As such, the patient does not have an unsightly gap or otherwise unaesthetic appearance at the implantation site. Further, a second, separate surgical procedure is not required since the implant, abutment, and temporary prosthesis are all placed during the first surgical procedure. Further yet, since the prosthesis is left out of occlusion, it is not exposed to immediate loads. Thus, movement and disturbance of the implant is minimized during the integration period. Further yet, the implant and abutment are made from two separate pieces, and the implant is not required to have a special external thread design to help improve resistance of the implant to chewing and compressive forces.
In another embodiment, the prosthesis is formed from an internal metallic core and an external ceramic crown. The crown has a shape that closely resembles the shape of a natural human tooth. The prosthesis can be placed directly on the implant in one step, leaving the patient with a temporary prosthesis that resembles a natural human tooth.
This near net tooth shape of the crown will reduce the amount of work, time, and expense required to create a final dental prosthetic restoration. Further, the ceramic used to fabricate this crown is compatible with commercially available porcelains so that the gradients of shade and translucence of the natural tooth can be replicated. Also, the crown may be manufactured to have a size that is slightly smaller than the average natural tooth. This difference in size enables the crown to receive an additional layer of porcelain and then match the exact size of the natural tooth.
As another advantage, the prosthetic teeth of the present invention may be manufactured and sold as a kit. Each kit would include a plurality of prosthetic teeth having different sizes and shapes emulating different sizes and shapes of natural human teeth. A clinician could chose a prosthetic tooth to best match particular needs of a patient.